
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,701
- BGG rating
- 7.0
U-Boat Leader
- 1 player
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2011

Rules assistance for Harpoon Naval Review 1997
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Harpoon Naval Review 1997 is an expansion for Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare released in 1997 for 2–3 players and 180 minutes per game. It was designed by Dave Schueler, Matt Irsik, Adrian Davis, and Mal Wright and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Paper-and-Pencil, and Simulation.
From the back of the book: In the wake of the Cold War the world's navies are looking to revamp their fleets and plan for the future. With the loss of their clearly defined opponents and missions, many navies are searching for new assignments. For some this means looking toward old rivalries, while others try to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In all cases it has made the world an interesting and dangerous place with situations, both real and hypothetical, that can be simulated using the Harpoon system. Harpoon Naval Review brings these situations to life with detailed scenarios ranging from the crowded waters of the Aegean Sea and Baltic to the warm waters in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. Harpoon Naval Review also includes "State of the Fleet" articles describing current naval events for several nations, along with ship and aircraft forms for each of the scenarios. Harpoon Naval Review 1997 contains: Articles on - The current state of the Royal Navy - The Future of the US Navy 40 ship forms 15 aircraft forms Harpoon clarifications A random scenario generator Five detailed scenarios: - Dire Straits, a Baltic scenario based on Larry Bond's book "Cauldron" - Operations Cyclone, UK vs. India - Disputed Territory, Australia vs. Indonesia - Encounters in the Aegean, Greece vs. Turkey - Konfrontasi, the 1963-66 UK - Indonesia confrontation
Harpoon Naval Review 1997 supports 2–3 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Harpoon Naval Review 1997 is 180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Harpoon Naval Review 1997 belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Paper-and-Pencil, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Harpoon Naval Review 1997 are: Dave Schueler, Matt Irsik, Adrian Davis, and Mal Wright. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Harpoon Naval Review 1997 as an expansion for Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare to use it. Check that your edition of Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.